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Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Tilted Head

Baby2 has been gaining great head control (That's the compliment I received from a stranger the other day, anyway). She likes to look around with her big blue eyes open wide, her giant cheeks gaining her many remarks, and her mouth hanging open with a little drool sliding out.

I had her sitting up on my lap the other day, facing the world, when I noticed her little head was tilted to one side. It stayed that way even as she looked around, so that she was seeing the world from an angle.

Hypochondriac that I am, I consulted Dr. Google on what this phenomenon might be (in other words, I opened Google and typed in, "my baby has a tilted head."). Well, Dr. Google has plenty to say on the matter. Apparently it is a condition called torticollis. The baby's neck muscles are stronger on one side than the other, so the head appears tilted. This could be caused by how the baby was formed in the uterus, or it could be a sign of another syndrome having to do with bones being fused together. Baby2 was pretty crowded in my uterus, so in my non-expert opinion, I went with that one.

I began to recall the ways Baby2 had been holding her head, the directions in which she'd been looking. Whenever I held her, she only looked to her left. When I lay her on her tummy, she only looked to her left. When she was placed in her swing, she moved her head so that it was at a weird angle.

In my research, I discovered that in order to help Baby2 straighten out, I had to get her to stretch her neck muscles and look the other direction. Thus, I instructed Husband that we had to make sure she turned her head both left and right whenever we were doing something; changing her diaper, playing with her, holding her, laying her down, etc. If my techniques didn't work, then I would consult an actual doctor.

Fast forward a few weeks and she's not tilted anymore. Hence the "She has great head control" comment.

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About Me

I am a public school teacher turned stay at home mom to three little ones. I'm just trying to figure out how to balance this thing called life and thought I would document it honestly at the same time. Please feel free to comment!